Apprendimento e riorganizzazione plastica dei network cerebrali in pazienti con demenza di Alzheimer

The aim of the study was to investigate, in patients with AD, the effects of one-month cognitive stimulation training with the repetition of a cognitive task. Reaction times on answers and cortical activity (ERP) were measured during the execution of a trained task and a control task. Pre- and post-training comparisons showed: (1) faster and more accurate responses after the training in both the trained and the control task; (2) different pattern of neural network activation during the trained task. Thus, an intense cognitive training in AD patients modulated learning behaviour as well as plastic re-organizations of cerebral networks

One-year Repeated Cycles of Cognitive Training (CT) for Alzheimer\u2019s disease

Background: Recent research suggests that a combination of both pharmacological and psychosocial treatments targeting cognitive functions improves cognition in patients with Alzheimer\u2019s disease (AD). The present study evaluated the effectiveness of a one-year cognitive training (CT) by comparing the cognitive performance of 16 patients with AD treated with CT and cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) (experimental group) with the performance of 16 patients treated with a non-specific cognitive treatment and ChEIs (control group). Methods: This study was a single-blind randomized controlled trial. The patients in the experimental group received pharmacological treatment and repeated cycles of CT for one year, whereas the control group received pharmacological treatment and repeated cycles of non-specific cognitive exercises. The patients in the two groups were administered a variety of neuropsychological tests measuring several cognitive functions (i.e., memory, language, reasoning, executive function, working memory and apraxia), activities of daily living, and depression. Results: After one year of training, the experimental group scored significantly higher on the Mini Mental State Examination, the Milan Overall Dementia Assessment battery and in other five neuropsychological tests, compared to the control group. Conclusions: Present results suggest that repeated cycles of CT in patients with AD treated with ChEIs are associated with benefits in several areas of cognitive function